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From constitution to care: Making equality a daily practice

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The first principle of the NHS Constitution sets a clear standard: a comprehensive service, available to all. It’s a value we all uphold — but how well is it being realised, particularly for children in care? 

Recent reviews suggest we still have work to do. In December, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel highlighted equality-related concerns and intersectional vulnerabilities, especially among those facing multiple forms of discrimination.  

Then, in March, a report examining 53 cases involving children from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds exposed a concerning lack of attention to race, silence on racism, and missed opportunities to address bias. 

It’s from this reality that today’s Annual Health Conference takes shape. 

Throughout the day, we’ll explore how personal values influence professional decision-making and how individual self-awareness can be harnessed to create more equitable practice. We'll look at how identity, intersectionality and lived experience shape the care journey — and how services can better reflect and respond to those realities. 

Today’s attendees will hear about current research on the disparity between care-experienced young people’s lived experiences of disability and the way these are captured in data. Most importantly, they'll hear directly from those with lived experience. Our rapid-fire “blitz” presentations will showcase innovative, effective practices from across the UK — highlighting holistic and child-centred approaches to neurodevelopmental health care, as well as initiatives that improve access to health care for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. 

While a single day isn’t long enough to cover every protected characteristic outlined in the NHS Constitution, we hope today offers space to learn, reflect and connect. 

We invite you to engage with the ideas shared, challenge assumptions, and take practical insights back into your everyday work, whether you are attending today’s conference or not. 

Thank you to those attending today’s conference — and to all our members, for your ongoing commitment to children in care.

Ellie Johnson, Health Consultant, CoramBAAF.

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